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Why High-Performing Women Are Burning Out at Work

"Highly engaged. High performing. And quietly burning out. This is not just a people problem. It is a business problem."
Woman reclining in an office chair with feet resting on a desk, hands covering the face, surrounded by a laptop, desk lamp, papers, and scattered sticky notes on the wall, illustrating workplace fatigue, overload, and signs of burnout in a demanding work environment.

Gallup’s 2025 U.S. workplace data presents a notable contrast: women report higher engagement than men, 34% compared to 28%, and are more likely to express strong motivation for career growth. Yet nearly one in three women reports frequently feeling burned out at work, compared to fewer than one in four men. This gap is most pronounced at senior levels. 

McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report reflects a similar pattern, with a higher share of senior-level women reporting frequent burnout compared to men at the same level. Other research shows comparable differences among managers. 

Many of the women driving organizational performance are also experiencing sustained pressure. As responsibilities increase, so can the risk of burnout. 

Why Women Experience Burnout: Five Contributing Factors

Burnout is shaped by workplace structures, expectations, and broader social dynamics. Research consistently points to several contributing factors:

  1. The Double Burden
    Globally, women spend significantly more time than men on unpaid care and domestic responsibilities, often taking on a second set of obligations after the workday ends.
  2. Sandwich Caregiving
    A majority of employees who are caring for both children and aging parents are women. In the Caribbean, where multigenerational households are common and formal elder-care support may be limited, this responsibility can be especially demanding.
  3. Emotional Labor and Visibility Gaps
    Women are more likely to take on informal responsibilities such as mentoring, supporting colleagues, and maintaining team cohesion. This work is valuable but is often not formally recognized or reflected in performance evaluations.
  4. Flexibility and Career Progression
    Data shows that employees working remotely do not always experience advancement equally. Women using flexible arrangements may be more likely to be overlooked for promotion, particularly where visibility is still closely tied to perceived commitment.
  5. Differences in Advancement Rates
    Even with high levels of engagement and ambition, women are often promoted at lower rates than men across multiple career stages. Over time, this can affect motivation and long-term retention.

The Aruba Context

While no comprehensive data on burnout among women in Aruba is currently available, this does not mean the issue does not exist. Aruba is continuing to expand its gender data, with only about 6.7% of key indicators on women’s wellbeing and economic participation currently available. Areas such as labor conditions and unpaid care work remain less visible, and burnout is not typically reflected in standard health statistics. 

 

At the same time, existing data offers helpful context. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) tracks employment trends by gender and shows that pay differences are most visible in higher-paying sectors. In 2024, men in utilities and financial services earned several hundred florins more per month than women in similar roles, while wages were closer in some lower-paid sectors. The data also points to steady gains for women in fields such as information and communication over the past decade. 

 

Workplace pressures such as workload, work–life balance, and working conditions all affect mental wellbeing. In Aruba, these pressures can intersect with strong cultural values around responsibility, family, and community, where setting boundaries is not always straightforward, particularly for women balancing work and caregiving roles. 

 

Taken together, this suggests burnout may be present but not always visible in the data. Continued attention can help organizations better understand employee experiences and support wellbeing in ways that reflect the realities of their workforce. 

What Organizations Can Do

  • Make Check-Ins Meaningful 
    Regular, structured one-on-one conversations between managers and employees can help identify pressure points early and create space for open discussion. 
  • Recognize and Share Informal Work 
    Tasks such as onboarding support, team coordination, and morale-building are often unevenly distributed. Making this work visible can help ensure it is more fairly shared. 
  • Support Flexible Work Thoughtfully 
    Clear expectations around performance and advancement can help ensure that employees using flexible arrangements are assessed consistently. 
  • Strengthen Sponsorship 
    Beyond mentorship, active advocacy by senior leaders can play an important role in supporting women’s progression into leadership roles. 
  • Create Accountability 
    Including equity-related measures in leadership evaluations can help maintain focus on fair development and advancement practices. 
  • Measure What Matters Locally 
    Tracking employee wellbeing, promotion patterns, and pay equity within the organization provides insight that broader data may not yet capture. 

The Bottom Line

Women remain highly engaged and committed to their work. At the same time, many are managing sustained and overlapping demands that can affect wellbeing over time. Organizations that pay attention to these patterns are better positioned to support their people and sustain performance over the long term. 

At U-SparkPeople Management & Development Consultancy, we support organizations in strengthening their people practices in ways that are both thoughtful and effective. Our work spans employee engagement, HR practice reviews, and leadership development. Because growing your people means growing your business.

Ready to take the next step? Let’s talk. 

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